Love For An Immortal
by Lollipop456
Summary: Very AU. Possible Mary Sue. In Regency London, Doctor Carlisle Cullen comes to the terms that the one he wants, is the one he can't ask to join him. CarlislexOC
1. Chapter 1

The year was 1820 and the place was London. Doctor Carlisle Cullen rode in his coach to his home, his good friend and colleague Doctor Christopher Brighton rode with him.

"Carlisle?" Christopher said, leaning forward.

"Yes, Christopher. What's wrong?" Carlisle said, turning to Christopher.

"I was called to the home of Lord Holden." Christopher said.

"Lord Holden? He's a judge. What business would he have with a doctor?"

"Actually, Carlisle, he wanted to know how long we've been acquainted." Christopher said, wiping the sweat off his neck.

"Why? We're respectable people, we hold an honorable occupation. What does he want with us, Christopher?"

"It's not me he wants, Carlisle. It's you."

"Me? I've done nothing wrong."

"He was in court a few days ago when the accused began rambling on about vampires. He said your name. He said that he saw you drinking blood from a dead dog."

"So Lord Holden believes the word of the madman over my respectable reputation?"

"Yes, he does. I tried to convince him that the man was only delusional and should be placed in an asylum. However, since I am your friend, he didn't believe me."

"Don't worry, Christopher. Lord Holden will forget the incident over time."

"If he doesn't? If he provides the evidence and places you on trial?"

"I'll leave for France. Or America, even. There are plenty of places for me to seek refuge. Though the Lord knows that I am anything but a convict."

Suddenly, the coach went over what Christopher and Carlisle thought was a large bump.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Christopher asked, placing his hand over his chest.

"I'm sure it was a only a stone or perhaps a dead animal." Carlisle said.

Carlisle peeked his head outside of the coach window and looked up at the driver's seat.

"Driver, have we hit a stone?" Carlisle asked.

"Not sure, governor. Me eyes aren't what they were." The driver said.

Carlisle turned his head to see if he could see what they had hit. Much to his surprise, he could see the helpless body of a young woman. Judging by her clothing, she was not from high society. Carlise didn't care however, he was more concerned at the fact that the woman was bloody and broken and unconcious. As the coach began to move again, Carlisle looked back up at the driver.

"Driver, we must go back! There is a woman in the streets and I am certain that she's been injured." Carlisle said.

"Under normal circumstances, sir, I would turn back but my horse is old and tired. I need to get him back to the manor before he dies of exhaustion." The driver explained.

"For God's sake, you would choose an animal over the life of a woman? A helpless woman?"

"I'm sorry, sir, but if this old bloke passes on then I am out of the job. He's me only friend and partner, he is. I can't be a driver without him."

Carlisle leaned back into the coach, Christopher reached over and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"There's nothing that can be done, Cullen. I'm sure someone will happen upon her soon." Christopher said.

For the next few seconds, Carlisle sat anixously before reaching for his medical kit that was resting under his seat.

"You're mad." Christopher said simply.

"Nobody deserves death, Christopher. Doctors wouldn't exist otherwise." Carlisle said.

Suddenly, Carlisle jumped out of the moving coach and tumbled onto the ground. He quickly picked himself up and ran over to the young woman. Carlisle quickly knelt by the woman's side and laid his head on her chest. Thankfully, she still had a heartbeat, even though it was faint.

"Miss? Miss, can you hear me?" Carlisle called out to the young woman.

For a moment, Carlisle waited to see if the young woman would wake up. Just as it seemed that the young woman would not respond; she drew a tiny breath and opened her eyes. As the woman was about to speak, she found that she was only able to moan.

"It's better not to speak. Your injures are rather severe." Carlisle said, trying to offer the woman, a comforting smile.

Carlisle opened up his medical bag and took out a tiny bottle of alcohol. Carefully, he poured some of the alcohol over the woman's wounds and bruises. The woman tried not to swear, let alone scream out in pain.

"I know that it stings, but it is the only way to avoid infection." Carlisle said, rubbing the alcohol into the woman's skin.

After cleaning the wounds, Carlisle began to wrap bandages around the woman's wounds on her legs and arms. He then wrapped a large bandage around the woman's head, to stop the bleeding from a wound on the woman's forehead.

"Well, that takes care of most of them. However, you might have a slight concussion. It would be best if you come to my home for the night, so I can examine you thoroughly." Carlisle said.

Carlisle offered his arms to the woman, she seemed reluctant to go with Carlisle.

"Come now. I won't hurt you." Carlisle said.

The woman slipped her arms around Carlisle's neck, and he lifted her off of the ground.

"Now, I believe it's time for introductions. My name is Carlisle. Doctor Carlisle Cullen. What's your name?"

"My name is Beth. Beth Hawkins." The woman said.


	2. Chapter 2

Carlisle carried Beth all the way to his home. He laid her on a sofa in his parlor and started a fire in the fireplace. Beth seemed fascinated by her surroundings.

"You're a real gent, aren't you? No one can afford lodgings like this unless they're respectable." said Beth.

"I suppose you might call me "respectable." My Father, God rest his soul, was a pastor in a nearby church. I soon became a pastor as well, but found that it did not suit my personality. I do hold the beliefs, but I'm not a very good speaker. So, after awhile, I found that the field of medicine was better suited for my personality. So, here I am today." said Carlisle.

"Where's your Father now?" asked Beth.

"He died a very long time ago. When I was still young."

"I'm sorry."

"Thank you. Anyway, might I ask you to remove your shirt?"

Beth suddenly seemed frightened, and instead recoiled and clutched onto her shirt. Carlisle smiled and sat next to Beth.

"Miss Hawkins, you must trust me. If at any moment, you feel uncomfortable, then notify me and I will stop. But you must remove your shirt so I can see if you have anymore injuries."

Beth nodded and removed her shirt, thankfully she had a corset on so that made her feel a bit more comfortable. Carlisle stood and rummaged around to find his stethoscope. He finally found it and returned to Beth.

"Now, breathe normally." said Carlisle.

Carlisle pressed the stethoscope against Beth's back and noticed that she flinched.

"Sorry. It's quite cold."

"It's not the stethoscope, Doctor. It's your hands."

"I-I'm sorry. Take a deep breath, please."

Beth took a few deep breaths for Carlisle and could feel his hands trembling as the icy tips of his fingers barely brushed against her back. After awhile, Carlisle laid down his stethoscope and let out a sigh.

"Well, your heartbeat is rather rapid, but that is understandable due to the circumstances. However, your breathing is shallow. I'll need to examine you further to see if your ribs have been broken, if they have then I'm afraid you'll be forced to stay in my household for the next few weeks until you are healed."

"Very well."

Carlisle smiled and gently pressed against Beth's ribcage, when Beth suddenly moaned in pain. Carlisle gave a knowing nod and stopped pressing against Beth.

"They aren't broken, but they're severely bruised. Nonetheless, you'll have to stay the night here."

"I don't want to be any trouble, Doctor."

"It's no trouble. I have a guest room upstairs and my servants will see to you, if I'm unable."

"You have servants?"

"Only a few. Three at the most. I suppose you could say that I'm more independent than my colleagues."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Carlisle went to answer it and saw Christopher, who breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"Thank God! You had me sick with worry. What came over you? Don't you realize how danger it is to jump out of a coach? You could have broken your neck." said Christopher.

"I had to see to Miss Hawkins' injuries."

"Miss Hawkins? Is that her name?"

"Yes. Beth Hawkins. I've been examining her in the parlor. Her ribs are severely bruised and I thought it best for her to spend the evening here."

"Are you mad? Lord Holden is looking for evidence that supports the fact that you are a vampire. If he finds out that you've been keeping a young woman here, a low-class whore no less, then he'll certainly tell the judge and make it look like she was one of your victims."

"Do you seriously believe that I would take her life? Drain her blood and see to it that she becomes one of my many brides?"

"Of course not. I just worry that you will not be able to handle temptation."

Carlisle sighed and closed the parlor door and then turned back to Christopher.

"Christopher, you've known me for four years. And you've known my secret for three. Up until this moment you have never doubted that I could resist the temptation to drain blood from humans. Females included. Why the sudden change of mind?"

"I don't doubt you, Carlisle. It's just that you've never had a female come and stay in your household for over an hour. Let alone an entire day. I'm a doctor of psychology and I know that the mind sometimes rules the heart. You have an urge to drink and you will not be able to resist it, if instead of killing some damnable stray, you have a naive victim right in your parlor."

"Well, put your mind at ease. I have been able to train myself to drain blood only from animals for over two-hundred years. One woman cannot destroy years of resistance."

"If you say so. Goodnight, Carlisle. Tell Miss Hawkins that I hope she forgives my driver."

"I will. Goodnight."

Christopher left the house and Carlisle returned to the parlor. He found Beth waiting anxiously, and gave her a warm smile.

"Who was at the door?" asked Beth.

"A friend of mine. He was the owner of the coach that ran you over. He offers his sincerest apologies."

"Well, he's forgiven. I've been through worse."

Carlisle sat next to Beth on the sofa, curious to learn what she had to say.

"What do you mean by "worse?" "

"It's not easy being on the streets. I'm not a whore, mind you. I might as well be. Men treat me like one. My mum is prison, for not paying debts. I've been doing whatever I can to make ends meet. Even been begging like some sort of morbid bitch. One day, two gents who had a bit too much to drink, saw me begging and they did this..."

Beth lifted her skirt and revealed two long cuts running along her left and right thighs. The cuts spelled out two words:

_Useless whore_

Carlisle looked as though he wanted to vomit. Being a vampire and a doctor, he had seen so much blood and so many wounds. But never had he seen something this horrible. After taking a deep swallow, Carlisle chose to speak.

"Are there any other wounds similar to these?" asked Carlisle.

"Plenty. Although, the others aren't really visible to a human eye. A gent's eye, actually."

"I see..."

"You have every right to throw me out."

"No. I wouldn't dream of it. You will stay here the night."

Beth pulled her skirt down and allowed Carlisle to carry her upstairs and to the guest room. He tucked her under the covers and blew out the candle.

"Doctor? Could you leave the door open? In case I need you?"

"Of course."

Carlisle left the room but left the bedroom door open. Exhausted from the evening's events; Carlisle crawled into his own bed. An hour later, Carlisle sprung up in bed, sweating and shaking. He could not remember exactly why he was in such a frightful state. All he could remember was closing his eyes and having a terrible dream about seeing Beth's bloody corpse laying on the streets. Two holes in her neck.


	3. Chapter 3

When Carlisle went downstairs the following morning; he found the door to his study was open. He quietly sneaked inside and saw Beth going through his collection of books.

"Do you like them?" asked Carlisle.

Beth jumped up and dropped the book that she was holding. Carlisle smiled and handed it back to her.

"I didn't mean to frighten you."

"I'm sorry, Doctor. I've just never seen so many books before."

"Do you like to read books?"

"I never learned to read. Sometimes I like to pretend what books are about, though."

"Really?" said Carlisle, Beth nodded. "Can you show me?"

"All right."

Beth picked up a book and then pointed out the big, brass words on the cover.

"The words on the cover are golden. So, this must be a fairy tale." said Beth, as she opened the book.

"What about pictures? Don't most fairy-tales have pictures?"

"Some do, I suppose. I guess the writer wasn't fond of pictures."

"I suppose not."

"Would you like to see another one?"

"Maybe later. It's time for your examination. Come with me to the parlor."

Carlisle helped Beth to his parlor and examined her injuries. Once they were done, Carlisle went to clean his hands but Beth couldn't help but notice something extremely odd.

"They're always pale." said Beth.

"What is?"

"Your hands...Sometimes your face. Last night, when you found me, I was rather warm. Then, the moment you touched me, I was as cold as ice."

"I'm different, Ms. Hawkins. That's all you need to know."

"How are you different, Doctor Cullen?"

Carlisle paused, for a moment, and then approached Beth. He lifted her into his arms.

"I believe it's time you rest. There's no need to concern yourself over me."

Carlisle carried Beth upstairs and laid her down in her bed. He blew out the candle, and was about to leave the room, when Beth took his hand.

"I can't thank you enough for this, Doctor Cullen. Men of your kind, would usually walk past me."

"I'm not like other men, Ms. Hawkins."

Carlisle left the room and closed the door. He was beginning to feel sick, which meant that he was hungry. He told one of his servants to watch over Beth, while he went to buy some supplies to continue the treatment on his wounds. Naturally, he lied, and instead raced off into a nearby forest. Where he found a deer and killed it, then drained its blood. When he returned home, he found Lord Holden's carriage. His manservant was standing at the door, waiting for him.

"When did he arrive?" asked Carlisle.

"Only seconds after you left, sir." said the manservant.

"Has he found Ms. Hawkins yet?"

"No, sir."

"Where is he?"

"He's in the parlor, sir."

Carlisle went to the parlor, and found Lord Holden observing his medical bag. He even was pulling out a few tools.

"Lord Holden, those are my personal belongings." said Carlisle.

"Doctor Cullen, I'm glad you've returned." said Lord Holden, turning his attention towards Carlisle.

"This is my home, sir. Who granted you access?"

"Your servants, naturally."

"Then they can just as easily escort you off of my property."

"Not until I speak with you."

"Very well."

Carlisle and Lord Holden sat across from one another. Carlisle saw that Lord Holden had a bloody dagger in his coat pocket.

"That dagger...Where did you find it?"

"Oh," Lord Holden removed the dagger from his coat pocket. "I found this lying on the street. It also didn't take me too long to realize just where it had come from."

"Where?"

"A dead dog. It just so happens that I found him on the street where I last saw you kill another dog. It was killed in the exact same fashion. This time, however, I found evidence."

"No one is going to believe you, Lord Holden. There's no way of proving that the dagger is mine."

"I'll find a way, Doctor Cullen, I assure you. Then I will expose your secret, and have you arrested."

"Will a judge still find me guilty, sir? I am known to be a fine doctor, and have cared for many patients. No matter what evidence you bring, no one will believe you."

"Then every person on this Earth, has been born with a simple mind."

Carlisle's manservant came into the parlor, twiddling his thumbs .

"Pardon, sir. Your patient needs to be tended to." said the manservant.

"Patient? You have a patient in your house, Doctor Cullen?"

"Yes, I do."

"May I question your patient? Just to know if they've seen any suspicious behavior."

"I'm afraid not. You see, she's been seriously injured and-"

"She? So it's a woman."

"I-I didn't say that."

"What else are you hiding, Doctor Cullen?"

Carlisle sighed. "Yes, one of my patients is staying in the guest room. Her name is Beth Hawkins, and she was hit by a coach. Her injuries are severe and I think it's best for her to stay with me for a few days."

"What's her occupation?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Well, if you care so much for your reputation, then Ms. Hawkins must have a reputable career as well. I'm only curious to know what it is."

"She's a whore." muttered Carlisle.

"I couldn't hear you, Doctor Cullen."

"I said that she's a whore." said Carlisle.

"The housing of a prostitute. She'll soon be another one of your victims, no doubt."

"I would never hurt her."

"Just think how everyone will look at the good Doctor Cullen now. Once I go to Scotland Yard, and reveal this information, you both will be arrested and never see the light of day again."

"You can't arrest her. She won't be able to survive in prison. She needs to be cared for."

"I don't concern myself with the health of rats."

"Take that back."

"Why should I?"

Lord Holden got up and left the parlor. Carlisle felt himself become more and more angry with Lord Holden. He could not stand the fact that he had insulted Beth, let alone that he was about to expose her and get her thrown into prison. Then, it hit Carlisle, a way to end his anger. A way to stop Lord Holden's actions. He followed Lord Holden and then jumped onto his back, and wrestled him to the ground. He bared his fangs and stuck them into Lord Holden's neck, allowing blood to pour out of it. Lord Holden suffered a quick seizure and his heart suddenly stopped.

The manservant heard the commotion from upstairs and came running to see what had happened. All he saw was blood spilled all over the floor, and Carlisle standing over Lord Holden's body, with blood smearing his lips.

"I need to go see to Ms. Hawkins. I hope you don't mind cleaning the floor." said Carlisle, calmly wiping the blood off his lips.


End file.
